GOLDS 2020 | AC HERRAN & SAN LORENZO HIGH SCHOOL 1970

by Gina Padilla Geraldez

with contributions by Libet CuUnjieng and Gina Boncan Francisco

Hailing from Herran, San Lorenzo and Iloilo the One Class ’70 is united in friendship and in advocating for Assumption Mission Schools

     2020 marked the 50th year from our graduation – the Assumption Herran and Assumption San Lorenzo High School Classes of 1970.  We were the Golden Jubilarians and we prepared enthusiastically two years earlier, creating Viber groups that significantly enhanced communication and renewal of bonds of friendship with classmates, both here and abroad. In the hustle and bustle of pursuing our careers and raising our families, many of us had lost touch with each other but this new way of communication revived our connection . We had more frequent class reunions to celebrate birthdays and to welcome balikbayans, frequently held in the Urdaneta Village residence of our gracious classmate, Irene Yang Lim. We teased her that her house was becoming our “clubhouse”. Other classmates also hosted enjoyable get-togethers. At some of these reunions, the presence of Mother Ana Marina, the long-standing mistress of class of the 1970 Herran class, added meaning to the gatherings.

Birthday Lunch for Mother Ana And Balikbayan Reunion at the Vera-Perez Compound

Always keenly aware of the virtue of “social consciousness” imbibed from our Assumption education, our class treasurers, Cynthia Samson Samia and Ruby Urbano Tongo, indefatigably followed up for 5 years on contributions from the Herran group for our donation to Assumption’s many beneficiaries, mainly the Mission Schools as well as for the Velada.  The AC San Lorenzo class engaged in an extremely fun fund-raising event of endless singing and dancing with a host of raffle prizes for the AC Mission School in Kauswagan, Lanao Del Norte as well as for the Velada.

We formed a 12-man Velada Core Group composed of representatives from Herran, Cynthia Samson Samia, Ruby Urbano Tongo, Avie Gochoco Perez (our efficient secretary), Tere Macasaet Jesudason, Gina Boncan Francisco, Gina Padilla Geraldez and from San Lorenzo, Libet Cu Unjieng Virata, Crissy Camara Santayana, Lita Limjap Henson, Mariza Valencia Del Rosario, Eileen Bondoc Escueta, Pamy Uy who all eagerly met every month to excitedly discuss the thematic golden costumes, golden accents, music, dance steps, choice of choreographers, costs and practice venues. In the midst of our discussions on the choice of a choreographer for our presentation, the COVID pandemic struck and we had to shift gears and come up with a video presentation.

In unison, many generously contributed their time, sleepless nights, talents, and resources to produce a video that personified us. We were blessed to have an artistic and perceptive classmate, Libet Cu Unjieng Virata who primarily conceptualized and vetted with the core group the over-all theme, the video clips, and the music of our creative video presentation. Our video concept embodied the dramatic and far-reaching developments unfolding in the 1970s – Neil Armstrong’s “One Small Step for Man; One Giant Leap for Mankind”, the Beatles, Woodstock, the Vietnam War, Love Story, Jesus Christ Superstar and the beginnings of the anti-Marcos movement, Makibaka. The selected music and lyrics personified our dreams and aspirations and celebrated our womanhood – Wake Up Everybody, R E S P E C T, The Man in the Mirror, I’m Every Woman, I Am Woman.  We readily submitted our solo photos, aging with grace and capturing the joys and trials of 65 years.

Learning to lip synch the lyrics of the song Wake Up Everybody was a challenge we overcame with pride. Our expert dancers, Gina Geraldez and Crissie Santayana volunteered to choreograph the dance steps which we disseminated to many who performed them with exuberant grace. We had the most fun recording our own selves over and over again till our moves were perfect.  We showcased our involvement in many worthwhile charitable, professional, spiritual and civic causes which lie at the core of our Assumption upbringing.  We remembered and mourned the passing of our dearly departed classmates even in the midst of our celebration.  For the finale, each of our solo photos were displayed, and to demonstrate our oneness in the fight against the COVID pandemic many of our composite photos showed us with golden masks affixed digitally by a techie classmate, Cherry Sumulong Alarilla with the help of Piluchi Ocampo Fernandez. 

Snippets of our lip synching, dancing, singing while doing chores, photo editing and auditing of solo shots with/without masks were then stitched together by an excellent technical team composed of Libet Cu Unjieng Virata, Lulu Jalbuena Scheerer, Mari Lim Villalon, Crissie Camara Santayana, Lita Limjap Henson, Inday Vargas Javellana and Marilen Liwag Reambillo. We produced a superb video that was captivating and meaningful and made history as AC’s 1st Golden Jubilarians to celebrate the Velada virtually on Old Girls’ Day.

The 2020 Golden Jubilarians’ video fittingly ended with a photo of the Blessed Virgin Mary assumed into heaven.  Assumpta est, Maria!

Now, we look forward to our next celebration and in the meantime, we shall continue to live our lives aspiring always to be the best that we can be either as individuals or as the united AC Batch ’70.

Video of GOLDS 2020 : AC WOMAN | September 10, 2020

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